The memo, which was first reported by The Charlotte Observer, details communications strategy, political tactics and polling data that progressive groups can use to push the policy agenda in Raleigh, where Republicans control both the governor's mansion and the legislature.

According to documents included with the memo and interviews, the strategy outline was produced by Myers Research and Strategic Services for Project New America. It was originally provided to Progress North Carolina, a liberal nonprofit that has aggressively attacked McCrory during the 2012 campaign and his early term in office. Progress North Carolina shared the memo with Blueprint NC, a nonprofit that coordinates the activities of liberal-leaning nonprofits. In turn, Blueprint NC distributed it to its member organizations.

An electronic version of the memo appears to contain at least three separate documents. One is an email from outgoing Blueprint NC Communications Director Stephanie Bass describing the material and emphasizing that it is "CONFIDENTIAL to Blueprint, so please be careful – share with your boards and appropriate staff, but not the whole world."

Sean Kosofsky, Blueprint NC's director, said his group did not pay for or commission the research. "We were just forwarding it on," he said.

The second document is a "talking points memo" that outlines strategies for progressive groups. Policy wins for the political left, the memo said, would likely be defined as "mitigating" legislation, rather than pushing their own agenda items.

"The most effective way to mitigate the worst legislation is to weaken our opponents' ability to govern by crippling their leaders (McCrory, Tillis, Berger, etc...)" the memo reads, referring to the governor, House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger.

The memo goes on to describe a "potential two-year vision" during which the groups would "eviscerate the leadership and weaken their ability to govern."

The bulk of the document is a poll memo that talks about how to frame opposition to conservative tax and education policies. The survey was conducted between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2.

It's worth noting that there are both conservative and liberal nonprofit groups that provide similar strategy and research. The conservative Civitas Institute, for example, commissioned a tax plan that tracks closely with ideas offered by Republican legislative leaders in December and January. And they have been part of a drumbeat of criticism against Democratic officials and bureaucrats who served them, most recently focusing on the State Board of Elections.

Francis X. De Luca, president of the Civitas Institute, objects to the comparison.

"We have always stuck to policy and legislative disagreements. We try and leave the personal attacks to the left," De Luca said.

Republican strategists and operatives, some of who talked to WRAL News on background, said the memo puts the lie to liberal criticism of groups like Civitas, which are in large part funded by foundations tied to Art Pope, a former legislator who now serves as McCrory's budget director. Several said it showed Democrats didn't want to cooperate with Republicans leaders.

"I think it's shameful," said Ray Martin, caucus director for state Senate Republicans. "This is who is in control of the Democratic Party in North Carolina, radical left-wing zealots."

Paul Shumaker, a longtime Republican strategist based in Raleigh, said the document is far from shocking.

"It comes as no great surprise that, now that Republicans are in control, you are going to have those stationed on the left attacking conservatives," Shumaker said. "I'm sure they feel like this is just what was done to them when they were in control."

Shumaker pointed out that conservative nonprofits regularly questioned the ethics and conflicts of interest of former House Speaker Jim Black and former Govs. Mike Easley and Bev Perdue.

The memo indicates there are close ties between the liberal groups and the Democratic Party itself.

Hall's prepared remarks included this sentence: "Cutting funding for public education is wrong because it hurts our children's ability to succeed and compete for the jobs of the future." A slide from the polling memo includes the phrase, "Cutting funding for public education is wrong because it hurts our children's ability to succeed and compete for the jobs of the future."

Hall could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

Casey Wilkinson, chief of staff for the House Democratic Caucus, said the similarities aren't surprising. It is likely, he said, that the polling provided to the left-leaning groups was provided by the same company, or one similar, that the party uses for its research.

Copyright 2013 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

terpsez11Feb 25, 2013

bill16Feb 25, 2013

This is what democrats do when they can't compete in the word of IDEAS. Seems to be the only tactic dems have left.

safelyiniowa2Feb 25, 2013

The regional newspaper, Des Moines Register, called for the murder of NRA members. Google "kaul kill nra". Other papers are posting names and addresses of gun owners. I would take this attempt to intimidate conservatives very seriously.

screwyouFeb 25, 2013

Not too bright an idea since it can work both ways digging up dirt on either party and Republicans have more money to spend. They even have enough to start investigating those organizing this smear campaign and bring those secret lives into the public.

cgent47Feb 25, 2013

“Recently, Obama has been re-elected for a 2nd term by an illiterate society and he is ready to continue his lies of less taxes while he raises them. He gives speeches of peace and love in the world while he promotes wars as he did in Egypt, Libya and Syria. He plans his next war is with Iran as he fires or demotes his generals who get in the way.”

"He is a Communist without question promoting the Communist Manifesto without calling it so. How shrewd he is in America. His cult of personality mesmerizes those who cannot go beyond their ignorance. They will continue to follow him like those fools who still praise Lenin and Stalin in Russia. Obama’s fools and Stalin’s fools share the same drink of illusion.”

"President Vladimir Putin could never have imagined anyone so ignorant or so willing to destroy their people like Obama much less seeing millions vote for someone like Obama."

Pravda 11/19/2012 By Xavier Lerma

KenEFeb 25, 2013

Typical school yard bully techniques. Isn't this SUPPOSED to be the "little man's" party, the party that is sensitive to bullying, the party of "diversity" and the open-minded party ? Gee, they are showing that they are the power hungry. closed, minded, closed to ideas bully party to put republicans to shame ...

fdavis101454Feb 25, 2013

This is the very definition of treason. Destroy the ability of our government to govern. These people need to be brought up on charges.

00100111Feb 25, 2013

I see the usual progressive "Cyber Warriors for Obama" are out in force to deflect and smear.

happiflyerFeb 25, 2013

@rushbot - It took a Republican president to end the Vietnam war. LBJ (and JFK before him) pushed the expansion of the Vietnam war in the 1960's. Nixon actually stopped the war, heck he even thought it could be won by teaching the citizens of South Vietnam to fight it themselves, much like Obama and Affhanistan and Iraq today. Of course, no one has ever believed Nixon was a conservative. He was the one under whose watch the EPA was founded and the National environmental legislation (NPA) was passed.

Let's see if these two Arab countries follow the road South Vietnam did, and end up being the successful democratic nation Vietnam didn't become.

happiflyerFeb 25, 2013

"a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is NO RULE against DISTORTING or FALSIFYING the NEWS in the United States."

I have looked for that extensively on the web and found nothing like this. Sounds more like you're making this up out of whole cloth. And remember, the Left owns the judges (due to keeping Republican judges from being confirmed - this includes the moderate to Left side of the Republican establishment).